We'll Be There
by Lightning Sage
Summary: [Dedicated to SaikoChi] Ryou is alone in a world he hates. He can't bear the way his yami treats him he loathes the phony attitude of Yugi & Co. During his struggle to find the right path, will he discover that he holds more cards than he realizes?
1. Part I

THIS IS _**NOT**_ A YAOI (there are NO man/man romantic pairings)

This story was inspired by the song "We'll Be There" from the YGO Music to Duel By Soundtrack. If you would like to read this piece in its original songfic form, please go to my profile and click on the links to my AdultFanfiction . net or MediaMiner . org accounts.

Disclaimer: The characters from YGO are the intellectual property of Kazuki Takahashi. However, this story belongs to Lightning Sage. Do not copy or use this story, edited or in its entirety.

PLEASE READ:

"Ryou" means "Bakura Ryou"

"Bakura" means "Yami Bakura"

Oh yea, another thing…the yamis and hikaris have separate bodies…

* * *

_**We'll Be There**_

-

Part I

-

Dedicated to: My friend Audrey (aka Jincks), for her 15th Birthday. I hope you like, Audrey!

* * *

Ryou cringed as Bakura slapped him across the face, hating the sound of Bakura's hand making contact with his cheek. The strike had left Ryou's skin stinging, his pale cheek tinged with pink. Ryou felt a tear slide down his cheek, which made his vulnerable skin tingle.

"Stop crying, you pathetic mortal!" Bakura growled.

Ryou sniffled, attempting to cease his weeping. Nonetheless, crystal tears continued to pour down his pallid cheeks. Each salty drop fell on the floor with a faint splatter. His heart was pounding against his chest, getting louder and louder; his sobs became increasingly shrill, and Bakura was ceaselessly kicking him--he wanted it all to end. He wanted Bakura to stop hurting him, to stop yelling at him…Ryou wanted his heart to stop hammering, the tears to stop falling; he just wanted it all to--

"STOP!!" Ryou shrieked, clutching his throbbing head.

Bakura seized Ryou's shirt collar, pushing him against the wall. His eyes narrowed, and his nose was centimeters from Ryou. "What did you say to me?" he demanded.

Ryou immediately cowered in fear, his gaze avoiding Bakura's dark glare. "Please don't hurt me," he begged him. "I…I'm afraid I can't take it anymore…"

"You must _never_ show weakness," Bakura snarled. "You must not show that you are in pain, even when you think you _can't take it anymore_."

Ryou sniffed in reply, and continued his desperate attempt to avert his eyes from his yami's.

"Look at me!" Bakura commanded, giving a sharp jerk on Ryou's shirt. "Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

Ryou gave a quick nod, but the tears continued to leak down his cheeks.

Bakura abruptly released Ryou's shirt collar and stomped out of the room, leaving a crippled Ryou on the marble floor. His hikari slumped to the ground, closing his eyes in utter defeat.

* * *

Several hours later, around midnight, Ryou finally gained enough energy to rise from the cold floor and stumble upstairs into his bedroom.

He didn't sleep well that particular night; even during the next five and a half hours he woke several times to find himself completely drenched in sweat. When he finally got out of bed to get ready for school, he discovered patches of dried blood on his sheets. Crusty blood was coated beneath his nostrils and around his mouth.

Ryou took a hot shower, which proved to be an efficient method for rinsing off the hardened red substance. He ran his fingers through his silky white hair, pushing out all of the dirt particles.

Ryou was ready for school a mere twenty minutes later, and was about to step out of the front door of his apartment when he felt an icy hand clamp down on his shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going?" came the frosty voice. Bakura's poisonous words were thick with venom and malice.

"S-school…" Ryou stuttered.

Bakura smacked Ryou across the face. "Don't stutter, you fool! What have I told you about not showing weakness?"

"I suppose in your twisted view, stuttering is also a sign of weakness?" he muttered.

Bakura snatched Ryou's uniform shirt into his tight fist. "Who do you think you are? Don't you dare talk back to me!" he thundered.

Ryou glanced away nervously, struggling in Bakura's grip. "Bakura, I have to go!" he sputtered. "The bus is coming!" With that, Bakura reluctantly released his hikari, and Ryou bolted towards the bus stop.

Although most teenagers despised school, Ryou found it somewhat tolerable. After all, being in school kept him away from Bakura. Unfortunately, school also meant being in the presence of other people. And most people didn't like Ryou. Therefore, in many cases, he would opt to avoid people. To Ryou, there was something so…unpleasant about being around people who loathed his very existence, whatever the reason be.

Ryou was on his way to his first period class, English, when he heard an obnoxiously loud and lively voice call his name.

"Ryou! Hey, Ryou!"

_Maybe if I pretend not to hear him he'll leave me alone…_

He had no such luck. Even at Yugi's major height disadvantage, the shorter boy eventually caught up to Ryou.

"Hello, Yugi. How are you?" Ryou inquired, smiling sweetly.

"Me?"

_No, Jonouchi,_ Ryou thought sarcastically.

"Oh, I'm doing well," the blonde boy responded. "What I really wanted to know is how _you_ were doing."

"I'm doing fine," he replied. It was true, according to Ryou's definition of F.I.N.E: fucked-up, insecure, neurotic, and emotional. Just F.I.N.E.

"Are you sure?" Yugi asked. "You seem a little…tired. Are you and Bakura getting along okay?"

Ryou felt his body stiffen upon hearing Bakura's name, but quickly regained composure. He didn't think Yugi noticed his change in posture.

"Yes, we're getting along quite well now."

"All right, then…"

"Well, I'd better be going now…" Ryou continued, quickly shifting the subject of conversation. He turned his back to Yugi, proceeding to his first class.

"Hey, Ryou?"

Ryou rotated swiftly on his heel. "Yes, Yugi?"

"Just remember you can talk to us. Any of us. Me, Yami, Jou, Anzu…"

"Thank you," was Ryou's gentle response. He then strode away, refusing to turn back, even if Yugi _did_ call him once more.

The rest of the day was relatively uneventful for Ryou. He took some notes, took some tests; but his mind was almost completely absent during the school day. He found it increasingly difficult to prevent his mind from drifting away from his conscious movements; he often realized that his thoughts would center on his yami's recent behavior.

_Why does he hate me so much?_ he wondered, the voice inside his head cold and bitter.

_Does he really hate you?_ the other voice argued. _You're just being melodramatic… _Ryou pushed aside his voice of optimism, believing that his pessimistic side was actually right for once.

_He beats me. Therefore, he hates me._

When Ryou returned home that day, he could not have been in a worse frame of mind.

As soon as Ryou entered his house, the door slammed shut behind him, and he was forced up against the hard barrier.

"Where have you been?" Bakura demanded, his hot breath scorching Ryou's cheeks.

"School," Ryou responded thickly, determined not to be punished for 'showing weakness'. He carefully removed himself from Bakura's grasp and headed towards his bedroom. "I'm going to start my homework," he announced before locking himself in his room.

* * *

It was nine o'clock, and Ryou still had not emerged from his room. He had not even appeared to eat dinner.

"What in the name of Ra is that blasted boy doing?" Bakura muttered. "It can't take _that_ long for him to do his homework…"

Bakura strode up to Ryou's door, giving it a quick, sharp rap. "Ryou, are you in there?"

"Yes, I am," came Ryou's sweet voice. "What do you need, Bakura?"

"Let me in," he ordered.

"I'm doing my homework."

"This long? You've been working since two-thirty."

"…I got quite a heavy load tonight…"

"Liar." Bakura gave the door an abrupt tug. "Open the door, Ryou!"

"No."

"Open up!" Bakura bellowed. "If you don't do so right this moment, I swear I will kick your arse all the way to Uranus!"

If Bakura could have seen through the door, he might have caught Ryou rolling his eyes at Bakura's pronunciation of 'Uranus'.

Bakura soon became frustrated because of Ryou's refusal to oblige to his orders. With one swift movement he kicked the door open, revealing Ryou's small frame hunched over a pile of papers.

"What the bloody hell are you doing…?" Bakura began, but halted when he saw the immense mass of papers sprawled across the desk.

"Homework, like I said."

"You shouldn't be doing homework!" Bakura snapped. "You should be exercising, building your muscles."

"But--"

"How are you going to be able to protect yourself when you need to if you sit around all day doing this useless crap?"

"I--"

"Get up! I want you to get on the treadmill and run ten miles at the constant speed of ten miles per hour. Go!"

Ryou leapt into the air, scurrying into the basement, where the exercising equipment lay.

He didn't know how he did it, but Ryou managed to maintain that speed for ten full miles without collapsing. By the time he was finished, he was exhausted, about ready to pass out. He felt disgusting; his hair was drenched with sweat and grime, and his pores were leaking with his excretions.

As soon as he slumped into a chair, Bakura yanked Ryou back out of the seat. "Now start your weight training," he told Ryou. "Start with your arms, and work your way down the body."

Ryou got by his excruciatingly extensive weight training session using only very light weights, and he thought he was done until Bakura stood in front of him, dressed in a clingy pair of sweatpants and a tight t-shirt, which pulled firmly across his well-defined chest.

"Fight me," Bakura stated, his eyes flaring with enthusiasm.

"You've got to be kidding," Ryou returned breathlessly. "I can barely stand."

Bakura took another step towards him, once again looming in the slighter teen's face. "Never show weakness. Just put it all aside and fight me."

Ryou shook his head. "No…I can't."

"C'mon, I'll even give you a free shot."

_I can't just __hurt__ him. Even if he hurts me. It's not right._

Ryou hesitated, drawing in a shaky breath.

"Just take you anger out on me," Bakura insisted.

Upon those words Ryou felt a sudden spark of energy, giving him the power to attack his dark half. Clenching his fists, he swung hard, straight at Bakura's face. His fist connected with Bakura's nose, which crunched as a result. Blood splashed onto the floor and smeared onto Ryou's knuckles.

Bakura grinned maniacally, blood seeping between his teeth and smudging on his pointy fangs. "Nice shot," he sneered, licking his lips.

"Oh, my!" Ryou gasped. "Are you all right, Bakura?"

"If you hit me again like that it might get you some brownie points."

Ryou glared at his darker half, appalled by Bakura's words and his own actions.

_I can't believe it. I actually __hit__ Bakura._

_And for some reason, I __enjoyed__ it. It felt __good._

_I'm turning into a monster. A monster like Bakura._

Ryou never felt so utterly ashamed of himself in his entire life.

* * *

I originally intended this to be a one-shot. And now it's got a lot more chapters. XD

Happy Birthday, Audrey!!


	2. Part II

Disclaimer: (See previous chapter)

Thanks to all who reviewed last chapter!

* * *

_**We'll Be There**_

-

Part II

* * *

"Keep going."

"What?" Ryou inquired, finally snapping out of his daze.

"Hit me again," Bakura instructed.

"I can't." Ryou held his head abate.

"Of course you can. It's in your blood. I can feel your blood boiling this very minute," Bakura hissed. "Now, hit me with everything you've got, you pathetic mortal!"

"No."

Bakura smirked. "Try not to disgrace the human race with your feeble pleas."

Ryou clenched his teeth, which only made Bakura's smirk grow wider and more malicious. "I'm not a disgrace," he retorted.

"Yes, you are," his darker half insisted. "You're weak and pathetic; you haven't even got the balls to hit me like a man."

"I did, just before."

"Then prove to me it wasn't a fluke."

Ryou didn't budge. He was completely drained from his previous workout. _I guess now I know what it's like to be a dead battery,_ he thought.

"See? You're just _standing_ there, staring hopelessly at the floor."

"Why can't you just leave me alone…?" Ryou murmured under his breath.

"Leave you alone?" he repeated incredulously. "I'll leave you alone tonight if you beat me in a fight."

_You're not exactly forcing me to stay here, Bakura…I may as well leave…_

As Ryou turned to exit, he felt a cold hand grasp his shoulder. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" Bakura demanded.

_Déjà vu._

"Contrary to your previous thoughts, you are _not_ leaving here until you beat me."

"I won't fight you, Bakura."

"Ryou, you have much to learn about the true power of human nature."

_What a waste time--trying to figure out the most efficient way of hurting someone._

"It's not a waste of time," Bakura stated firmly, reading Ryou's thoughts. He walked around Ryou's figure, speaking barely above a whisper. "People in this world will do anything to take advantage of you. You have to be the one to strike first, before someone else hurts you."

"Isn't that a tad paranoid, Bakura?"

"No," he hissed. Bakura stopped in front of Ryou, staring directly into his chocolate orbs. He bent close to Ryou's ear before speaking. "If you learn one thing from me, Ryou, learn that you _can trust no one_. Everyone is after something. Everything comes with a price."

Ryou snorted. "That's completely absurd. Not _everyone_ is like that."

"Everyone has a dark side, Ryou. They just keep it hidden from the world, until the time comes that they unleash its wrath, destroying any spirit that obstructs its path towards its ultimate goal."

In Ryou's mind, that statement sounded utterly ridiculous. But he didn't dare laugh out loud.

"You foolish, naïve, boy. I suppose you'll have to learn about this cruel world the hard way."

Ryou was tempted to argue, but was halted by Bakura's ceaseless ranting.

"Do you know what's going to happen to you? One day, you're going to get your spirit crushed by some power-hungry bastard. You're going to be trampled on, taken advantage of. You'll be left in a sorrier condition than ever. You're going to be in so much pain you'll just want to _die_."

Ryou stared at his yami, completely dumbfounded by his outburst.

"You're a foolish mortal boy. You'll never get anywhere in life." Suddenly, Bakura lifted Ryou by the shirt collar and threw him against the wall. As Ryou's head collided with the thick barrier, his vision went fuzzy. Bakura calmly walked towards Ryou's crouching form, and began to mercilessly kick his hikari. Ryou cried out in anguish every time he felt his Yami's stiff foot sink into his soft, pale skin. His vision blackened further; he couldn't hold on any longer…

Finally, the attacks ceased. "Get up," ordered the cold voice.

Ryou moaned in agony, his body refusing to move.

"Get up!" the voice was sharper this time, more frantic.

Slowly, Ryou gained his footing, feeling himself lean heavily against the wall. For once, he was grateful that the wall was there, to support him.

"I'm giving you one more chance, mortal. Fight me."

Ryou felt another surge of adrenaline, urging him to release it. He charged blindly towards the blurry object, feeling his fists fly everywhere. A cold, satisfying smash sounded as he made contact. His opponent doubled over, and fell to floor after Ryou's fist connected with the body once more. Ryou unloaded all his strength into his next few strikes, kicking the indistinct target with as much force as possible. Ryou wanted him to hurt, wanted him to suffer--to suffer as much as he did all these years. Ryou wanted his _victim_ to despise his _very existence…_

The figure was now on all fours, coughing blood, which splattered onto the concrete floor. At last, the blurred form came into Ryou's clear view, revealing Bakura's trembling frame. Blood soaked Bakura's silvery hair, and sweat matted it to his head.

"Bakura?"

Ryou got no response. The only sound to be heard was Bakura's ragged respiration.

He glanced around the room. There was blood everywhere. Most of it was pooled beneath his yami's body, but it appeared to have splashed all over the room. Ryou observed the scene in complete shock.

_I couldn't have done this. There's no way!_

Without warning, Bakura collapsed onto the floor. His eyes were closed, and there was a pained expression on his face.

"Bakura? Bakura? Answer me!" he screamed.

Bakura's eyes slowly slid open, revealing his clouded gaze. "…Ryou…?"

"Are you all right? _Please_ tell me you're okay…"

His eyes slipped shut again. "…Please…help me…"

It would have been so easy for Ryou to let go. It would have been so easy for him to simply let Bakura die. He could die in pain…that would be revenge enough for everything he'd done to Ryou.

But he couldn't. He could not let Bakura die.

He loved him. Ryou loved Bakura like the brother he'd never had. He loved Bakura, even though Bakura had been cruel to him.

"I'll call the ambulance," Ryou announced, swiftly standing.

"No…" Bakura objected. "Get…Ring…"

Ryou nodded curtly, sprinting upstairs to obtain the Millennium Ring. Within seconds he was back at Bakura's side, clutching the Ring in his hand.

Bakura held out a wavering hand, and Ryou handed the Ring to his yami. As the golden artifact made contact with Bakura's hand, a blinding light flashed, filling the entire room with its luminosity.

Moments later, Bakura was standing again, but Ryou was still on his knees, weeping. Bakura pulled his sobbing hikari to his feet.

"Why are you crying?" he asked his light side gently. The usual harshness in his voice was gone. Bakura's tone was quiet, timid…almost fearful. Normally, Bakura's voice was strong and confident.

"I'm not crying," Ryou sniffed, turning away. "Crying is a sign of weakness." With that, he stormed upstairs and into his bedroom, locking himself in his inside.

* * *

When Ryou woke up the next morning, he immediately sensed that something was wrong. Very wrong.

/Bakura?/ he called through his mind-link.

There was no response.

_That's odd,_ he realized. _Bakura __always__ answers when I speak to him through our mind-link…_

Ryou stepped out of his bedroom, and tried getting Bakura's attention through the "mortal" method of communication.

"Bakura??"

Ryou made his way down the hallway, finally halting in front of Bakura's bedroom door.

"Bakura, are you in there?" he shouted, pounding on the door.

Ryou heard a nervous whimper escape through the door. He forced his way into Bakura's bedroom, and stood at the doorway, his posture erect.

"Bakura, what's going on?"

Ryou's yami was in the corner, curled in a fetal position.

"Bakura, what's wrong?" Ryou asked tentatively, reaching out towards his darker half's shoulder.

Bakura flinched at Ryou's touch. "Don't touch me!"

Ryou's eyes widened. "Bakura…??"

"Don't touch me…"

"Bakura, snap out of it! I'm not going to hurt you!"

The Tomb Robber covered his ears with his hands. "Stop yelling at me! Just stop! _Leave me alone_!!"

* * *

PLEASE REVIEW!!

Also, I have two fics that people who like this may be interested in:

_**Anything But Ordinary**_ (one-shot): Bakura had finally acquired a body of his own; he can now live his life however he wishes. Being a unique individual, he intends to stretch his limits to the extreme and reach his full potential. He is bent on achieving something extraordinary, at any cost.

This fic is written by Light Spirit Sage:

_**If You Still Believe**_: (MarikxBakura shounen-ai): They all had the perfect life, the perfect relationship. Yugi, Anzu, Honda, Ryou, Jou, and Shizuka were the best of friends, bound by loyalty and trust. But everything changes when Ryou makes a decision that will change all of their lives forever...


	3. Part III

_**We'll Be There**_

-

Part III

* * *

"Stop yelling at me! Just stop! _Leave me alone_!!"

Bakura's plea struck a cord within Ryou.

_-"STOP!" Ryou shrieked, covering his throbbing head._

_Bakura seized Ryou's shirt collar, pushing him against the wall. His eyes narrowed, and his nose was centimeters from Ryou's. "What did you say to me?" he demanded._

_"Please don't hurt me," Ryou begged. "I…I'm afraid I can't take it anymore…"_

_Why does he hate me so much?__-_

_He hates me because he used to be like me_, Ryou realized. _Bakura used to be an innocent boy like me, until someone broke his spirit._

"Bakura, I'm _not_ going to hurt you," Ryou repeated. "Here," he outstretched his right hand, "do you need help getting up?"

Bakura shivered, but didn't respond.

Ryou sighed. Guilt overwhelmed him. _This is all because of that beating I gave him last night…_

_But that's exactly what he told you to do._ It was that _other_ voice again. _You're finally learning to stand up for yourself._

_But how could I hurt __Bakura__ like that, though?_ he argued mentally. _He's my yami, my other half…I'm supposed to be the good one._

_You can't let him walk all over you like he was. __Bakura__ was the one trampling your spirit._

_-"People in this world will do anything to take advantage of you." Bakura walked around Ryou's figure, speaking barely above a whisper. "You have to be the one to strike first, before someone else hurts you."_

_"Isn't that a tad paranoid, Bakura?"_

_"No," he hissed. Bakura halted in front of Ryou, staring into his chocolate orbs. He bent close to Ryou's ear before speaking. "If you learn one thing from me, Ryou, learn that you __can trust no one__. Everyone is after something. Everything comes with a price."_

_Ryou snorted. "That's absurd. Not __everyone__ is like that."_

_"Everyone has a dark side, Ryou. They just keep it hidden from the world, until the time comes that they unleash its wrath, destroying any spirit that obstructs its path towards its ultimate goal."_

_It all sound completely unreasonable to Ryou, but he didn't dare laugh out loud._

_"Do you know what's going to happen to you?" he asked Ryou. "One day, you're going to get your spirit crushed by some power-hungry bastard. You're going to get trampled on, taken advantage of. You'll be left in a sorrier condition than ever. You're going to be in so much pain you'll just want to __die__."-_

Bakura was watching his light fearfully, but at the same time carefully observing Ryou's facial expressions.

_My 'dark side' has finally revealed itself,_ Ryou realized. _And it's ruined Bakura's spirit. I've hurt him, both emotionally and physically._

Ryou fell to his knees, his petite frame shaking. Tears rolled down his pale cheeks. _What have I done?_

He felt so small, but so terrible. Ryou held his face in his hands. "I'm so sorry, Bakura," he sobbed.

Slowly, Bakura crawled over to his hikari, wrapping his arms around his slender frame.


	4. Part IV

**Warnings:** cussing, some OOCness

* * *

_**We'll Be There**_

-

Part IV

* * *

_I need to get to school!_ Ryou realized suddenly, tearing himself from Bakura's arms.

"I have to go, Bakura," he told him. "We'll talk later, right?"

His yami nodded slowly.

Ryou rushed out the door, swinging his backpack over his shoulder. He just barely caught the bus, and the bus driver yelled at him for being late. Ryou simply stuck up his middle finger in response.

_Why am I doing this?_ he wondered. _It's like I can't control my actions anymore…_

The bus arrived at Domino High School within minutes, and Ryou was the first to disembark the bus. He immediately made his way towards his locker, only to be greeted by the last people he wanted to see.

"Hello, Ryou!" Yugi cried enthusiastically. "How are you today?"

_How the hell does he always have this happy high? Is he on Speed or something?_ Ryou wondered. _Wow…where did __those__ thoughts come from?_

"I'm fine, Yugi. And you?" _Again: fucked-up, insecure, neurotic, and emotional._

"I'm very well, actually!" Yugi replied cheerfully. "It's another wonderful day!"

_Another wonderfully fucked-up day!_

"Hey, are you all right, Ryou?" he asked worriedly. "You seem a bit pale. And tired."

"I'm fine, Yugi," he repeated.

"Heya, Yuge!"

_Oh, great. Dumb Blonde #2._

"Oh, hi, Ryou," Jonouchi added hastily. "How's it going, you guys?"

"Great!" Yugi exclaimed. "Hey, Ryou, you wanna hang out with us at lunch? I mean, I feel terrible; you always sit by yourself!"

"No, that's quite all right, Yugi."

"Aw, c'mon," Jou insisted. "It's gotta be lonely where you sit."

"Yeah," Yugi agreed.

"Look, I clearly don't want to hang out with you or your idiot friends!" Ryou shouted. "Why can't you freaks just leave me alone?!"

Jonouchi stared at me with wide eyes, while Yugi turned away; Ryou could see tears forming in his eyes, threatening to spill any moment.

"Hey, look, Ryou--we were just being nice when we asked you to sit with us. You don't need to be such an asshole about it!" Jonouchi roared.

"I've had enough," Ryou declared, walking away from Jonouchi's shaking fist and Yugi's quivering form.

"Finally got the guts to tell them off?" a cold voice behind him sneered.

Ryou whirled around. It was none other than Kaiba Seto, CEO of a multi-billion dollar international company.

"I've had the guts all along," he retorted. "I just never had the heart--or lack thereof."

Kaiba strode towards Ryou, so that he was positioned at his side. They began their walk down the hallway towards their first period class. "They're quite a group," he commented.

"You mean Idiots Incorporated?" Ryou asked disbelievingly. "They're just a bunch of phony bastards on Speed."

Kaiba chuckled. "Yugi may act like he's on a constant high, but I think he just has an unnaturally high level of serotonin." Ryou glared darkly. "Besides," Kaiba continued, "happiness, especially in Yugi's case, is infectious. He makes everyone around him feel happier."

"He doesn't make _me_ feel any happier," Ryou pointed out. "Or you. He just pisses me off to no conceivable end."

"Maybe," Kaiba responded. "Or maybe you just don't _want_ to be happy."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Likewise."

Ryou sighed. _What the hell is he getting at?_

"Anyway," Kaiba remarked, "my weekly dosage of social contact is over. I can't ruin my reputation of antisocialism. You should talk to Yami; I think he might be able to help you out."

"I don't need help," Ryou spat. "Is 'antisocialism' even a word?"

He received no response. Kaiba had disappeared.

* * *

serotonin: a hormone that induces euphoria.


	5. Part V

_**We'll Be There**_

-

Part V

* * *

"Hello, Ryou."

_Oh, great,_ Ryou thought sarcastically. _Now it's Mr. Righteous Pharaoh here to reprimand me for insulting his precious hikari._

I blatantly ignored Yugi's darker half, and continued to nibble on my peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"How are you doing today, Ryou?"

_If the baka Pharaoh wants to make a fool out of himself trying to talk to me, it's fine by me!_

"I can sense your anger towards me. I'm not here to chastise you."

_Anybody could figure out that I'm pissed off right now. It doesn't take a freakin' Millennium powers to 'sense' someone's mood!_

"What you said to Yugi was wrong, but I think you already know that."

"You're a hypocrite and a liar, Yami."

Yami looked taken aback. "What makes you say that?" he asked calmly.

"First off, you _did,_ in fact, come here to chastise me," Ryou retorted through clenched teeth. "Second--who are you to preach about what's right and what's wrong, after what you and your father did as Pharaoh in Ancient Egypt?"

The color seemed to have drained from Yami's face. "What are you talking about?"

"You _know_ what I'm talking about."

Yami glared at Ryou through searching eyes. "Refresh my memory; frankly, I don't recall."

Ryou clamped his mouth shut.

"You _don't_ know what you're talking about, do you?"

Ryou was grinding his teeth painfully. It was true; he _didn't_ know entirely what he was talking about.

"Yes, I do," Ryou declared. It was worth a shot. "I can sense it in Bakura's behavior. Something happened to him in Ancient Egypt, during the time period your father reigned, and then you ruled soon after." Ryou felt himself fill with the choking rage that Bakura showed the last time he'd beaten Ryou. He was drowning in that same anger that surged through Bakura all those years. "You and your father did something to Bakura!" Ryou was now on his feet, shouting at the former Pharaoh. "You HURT him!!" He was in Yami's face, breathing heavily through his tightened jaw. "I don't know what you did to him, but I'll find out!" he swore.

"Ryou, just calm down…"

"'Calm down'?" he repeated. "You're kidding, right? I've just realized that after all these years Bakura simply hated me, he was actually redirecting his anger towards _you_ onto _me_! But at the same time, he was trying to warn me to watch out for people like you! He didn't want me to be hurt the same way he did!"

"Ryou, I don't know what's going on…but please, just calm down," Yami begged.

"You bastard!!" Ryou launched himself at Yami, smashing his fist into his face, ripping Yami's hair--doing damage to anything he could find.

"What the hell, Ryou?" came a voice from behind the two of them. Jonouchi grabbed Ryou and pried him away from Yami's cringing form, securing Ryou's hands behind his back. Ryou struggled against Jonouchi's grip, swinging his legs in an attempt to connect with flesh. "Honda, give me a hand here!"

"Let go of me, you freaks!"

"I thought I told you to _talk_ to Yami, not beat the crap out of him. Though I must admit it was amusing to watch the almighty Pharaoh cower."

It was that cold, sneering voice again.

It was the voice of none other than Seto Kaiba.


	6. Part VI

_**We'll Be There**_

-

Part VI

* * *

"What do you want, Kaiba?" Ryou demanded.

"I want to know what the _hell_ you were thinking, instigating a fight with the Pharaoh in school," Kaiba responded bitterly. "You know, you're lucky Mr. High and Mighty also happens to be righteous and just, or you would've have gotten yourself a one-way ticket stamped for the Shadow Realm."

"Yeah, lucky me," Ryou replied, his voice acidic. He squirmed against Jonouchi's grasp once again, but to no avail. "Let go of me, imbecile!"

"Release him," Kaiba ordered.

"Who are you to boss _me_ around, Moneybags?" Jonouchi retorted.

"I'll just have to show everyone that nice picture I've got of you in a doggy suit…a gift from Otogi."

Jonouchi gulped and immediately let go of Ryou.

"Ryou, what's been up with you lately?" Yugi asked suddenly. "You've been acting all strange."

"I'm fine," he said through clenched teeth.

"That sounded like what I tell Mokuba when he says that to me," Kaiba remarked. "I doubt you're fine, Ryou, at least in its traditional definition."

"Leave me alone, Kaiba," Ryou snarled. "I didn't ask for your help."

"Yet you still want it."

"How the hell would you know that?"

"Because I've been in your position before."

Ryou shook his head and strode away.

"You can't run away forever, Ryou!" Kaiba shouted.

"I'm not running away from anything!" Ryou shrieked.

Yami, who had sprinted after Ryou, spoke breathlessly as he caught up. "Ryou, if you ever want to talk, we're here for you. All of us."

* * *

Ryou kept running.

He kept running until he reached his home.

He unlocked the door with his key, gasping for air.

"Bakura?" he shouted.

No answer.

Ryou hesitantly entered Bakura's room, only to find his yami curled up on the floor, right where he'd left him.

"Bakura, I'm home."

The white-haired boy looked up at Ryou with mournful, sunken eyes.

"Bakura, are you all right?"

Again, no response.

_Why won't he speak to me?_


	7. Part VII

_**We'll Be There**_

-

Part VII

* * *

"'Kura, please, talk to me!" Ryou begged. "I know there's something wrong, so why won't you talk to me, your hikari? I'm here for you."

Bakura shivered in response.

Ryou leaned down and hugged his yami. Bakura tensed slightly in the embrace. Ryou could hear Bakura's quiet breathing in his ear.

After about a minute of silence, Ryou found himself grasping Bakura's shoulders gently, coaxing the spirit to make eye contact.

"I just don't want to remember," Bakura stated, his voice solemn. He held his head abate, and his eyes were downcast.

"Don't want to remember what, Bakura?"

"I don't want to remember my past."

_Why not?_

Ryou knew better than to ask the question that was burning on his lips.

"I just need to be alone for a while, Ryou."

"But Bakura," Ryou protested, "you've been sitting by yourself all day."

"I just…need to think over some things."

Ryou sighed defeatedly as Bakura walked away. The white-haired spirit of darkness seemed to drag melancholy with him wherever he went.

* * *

_Ryou's Point of View_

-

_Bakura's been in the bathroom for hours. I really should go check on him…_

I hesitantly walked up to the bathroom door, giving it a quiet knock. "Bakura? Are you in there?" I asked, my voice tentative.

Just like earlier, I received no response.

_What is up with him? He never answers me anymore…_

"Bakura?" I repeated, my voice louder this time. "Bakura, I know you're in there."

I rapped on the door once more. Even if he'd fallen asleep in there, he would have heard me by now."

_/Bakura?/_ I tried speaking through our mind-link.

But for some reason, I couldn't feel his presence. Not at all.

"BAKURA!!" I shouted frantically, my fists pounding on the door. "Answer me!"

There was something wrong. Very wrong.

Finally, I kicked down the door, adrenaline pumping through my veins.

I was greeted with a truly horrific sight.

There was blood splattered everywhere, pooled on the floor, and soaked in the rugs.

My blood had stopped cold. I couldn't feel my heart beating any longer. I don't think I was breathing, either; I felt light-headed and dizzy, on the verge of passing out.

The only thing that kept me going was the adrenaline that was now coursing through my body.

I sprinted to find the nearest phone, and dialed the ambulance hastily. The first-aid personnel arrived in minutes, but it seemed like it had taken them an hour.

Bakura was carefully strapped to a stretcher and placed inside the ambulance. I rode inside with him, clutching his hand the entire time.

Once we reached the hospital, Bakura was rushed to the emergency room, and I was forced to wait outside while they stitched him up.

I couldn't understand it. Why would Bakura try to kill himself?

_If only I had talked to him…or checked up on him sooner. He wouldn't be in this mess…_

I held my face in my hands, letting the tears run down my cheeks.

_I just don't understand any of this…_

* * *

**About the cliffhanger (PLEASE READ):** This is still NOT going to become a suicide fic. I know people are sick of the Ryou-trying-to-commit-suicide plot, so I imagine people don't want to hear about Bakura trying to commit suicide. For now, I'll tell you that what seems like Bakura's suicide _attempt_ is in actuality ACCIDENTAL, and I'll explain that in more detail next chapter.


	8. Part VIII

**I HAVE TWO IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS; ****PLEASE READ!**

1.) **In the future, if this fic is taking abnormally long to update (over a month), please check my bio page at http:// www. fanfiction. net/ ~lightningsage (Everyone: take out the spaces. Fanfiction. net readers: add a tilda before "lightningsage"), scroll down until you see, "UPDATES," and check to see if I have posted any information regarding my lack of updates.**

2.) **(This is directed towards my "Yu-Gi-Oh! Murder Mystery" fans from FANFICTION. NET): "Yu-Gi-Oh! Murder Mystery" has been removed from the site, most likely because it is considered a keyboard or Internet dialogue fic (even though technically, it's a play). You can read my fic on my ADULTFANFICTION. NET account or MEDIAMINER. ORG account, under the pen name, "Lightning Sage."**

**This is the URL to YMM on AFF: http:// adultfan. nexcess. net/ aff/ story. php?no20658 (take out the spaces)**

**This is the URL to YMM on MM: http:// www. mediaminer. org/ fanfic/ / 56274/ 169820#ficc (take out the spaces)**

* * *

_**We'll Be There**_

-

Part VIII

* * *

_Ryou's Point of View_

-

_Bakura…I wasn't there for you. I wasn't there when you needed to talk._

_Maybe I'm just not a good listener._

_Maybe I'm just not a good person…_

_Everyone needs friends, even you. Everyone needs __someone__--someone to talk to, someone to listen to._

_Everyone needs someone that they count on--no matter what. Everyone needs to learn to __be__ counted on._

_Paranoia only leads to depression and anguish._

_That's always been your problem--you've been depressed and angry because you don't have anyone you can trust with your problems. You refuse to trust in people._

_But why, Bakura? Why are you so sad and miserable? Why do you mentally live in the corner of that cold, dismal Ring, even now that you have a body of your own?_

"Don't worry, I sent the best doctors in the area to be stationed in Bakura's room."

I looked in the direction of the voice I'd grown quite accustomed to lately; one that, ironically, I had become more used to than Bakura's.

I met the cerulean gaze of Kaiba Seto. "He's going to be okay," he stated confidently.

"How did you find out?" I questioned weakly.

Kaiba's gaze faltered momentarily, an uncharacteristic action on his part. He stared at the wall across from him, as if mesmerized by it. "I asked the medical personnel to contact me if anybody by the name Bakura was admitted to the hospital."

I glared at him, anger beginning to cloud my vision. "Have you been stalking Bakura and me?" I demanded. "What else have you been up to? Did you put a tracking device in my backpack, for Ra's sake?"

"I just wanted to make sure neither of you got hurt."

"Why would you think we could get hurt?"

Kaiba rolled his eyes, for once looking a bit like the teenager he was. Then his face hardened, wisdom seemingly aging his facial features. "I've known you and Bakura have been going through a difficult time, and I know what one of you feels will affect the other. If one of you did something drastic, all of your friends would be upset, especially if they found out I could've helped to prevent it."

"My friends?" I spat out bitterly. "I don't have any _friends_."

"Yes, you do," he replied seriously. "Yugi, Yami, Jonouchi, Honda, Anzu…"

"They're all a bunch of idiots," I retorted, shaking my head in dismissal.

"They're all a bunch of idiots who would do anything they could to help you and Bakura."

"They can't be my friends if they were the ones who started this whole mess," I shot back.

"I don't believe they're entirely at fault. Especially not Yugi, Jonouchi, Honda, or Anzu. The Pharaoh--maybe. But some of this Bakura brought onto himself. He made a choice today that could have sent him reeling to the next realm. But he's strong; he'll make it."

"Why did he do it? Try to kill himself?"

"I'm not omnipotent. You will have to ask him yourself."

"You sure act it," I muttered.

"Besides," Kaiba continued, "Bakura's been making the choice all along to isolate himself, not trust people. It was a bad decision, and now he's paying the price." Kaiba sighed, his eyes darkening. "I should know," he spoke softly.

An old, gray-haired doctor with a receding hairline approached us in the waiting room. "Are you Bakura Ryou's brother?" he asked me.

"Yes, I am," I answered hesitantly.

"We've stabilized your brother's condition. You will be able to visit him tomorrow during visiting hours." The doctor spun on his heel and left.

I let out a sigh of relief. I closed my eyes, feeling tears burn the retinas.

"I bid you farewell, Ryou," Kaiba told me. Before he left, he spoke in a low voice, staring into my eyes with a meaningful glance, "Get a good night's sleep. You look tired."

"Wait, Kaiba," I called out to him. I just had to ask him; I had to know the answer. "Why are you being so nice to Bakura and me?"

Kaiba didn't answer; he just kept walking away, his trench coat floating behind him.

Damn. I hated when he did that.

* * *

tbc

* * *

**Ryou:** As you'll notice, Ryou makes some revelations at the beginning of this chapter, and you will begin to see some change in his character.

**Kaiba: **I think you will notice that Kaiba can relate to Bakura and Ryou's situation, in some ways. Maybe not so much now as in the future…


End file.
